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Plasticity of the enteric nervous system in patients with intestinal neuronal dysplasia associated with Hirschsprung's disease: a report of three patients

Meyrat, B J and Laurini, Ricardo LU (2003) In Pediatric Surgery International 19(11). p.715-715
Abstract
Intestinal neuronal dysplasia is a controversial form of dysganglionosis that has been described both as an isolated disorder and in association with Hirschsprung's disease. It has been blamed for the bad outcome of bowel function in patients operated on for Hirschsprung's disease. According to various authors, intestinal neuronal dysplasia could be a primary disorder or secondary to other diseases of the bowel. The aim of this study was to assess the plasticity of the enteric nervous system in patients with Hirschsprung's disease-associated intestinal neuronal dysplasia and its ability to evolve spontaneously to normal innervation patterns. Since we prospectively introduced the assessment of the enteric nervous system of the ganglionated... (More)
Intestinal neuronal dysplasia is a controversial form of dysganglionosis that has been described both as an isolated disorder and in association with Hirschsprung's disease. It has been blamed for the bad outcome of bowel function in patients operated on for Hirschsprung's disease. According to various authors, intestinal neuronal dysplasia could be a primary disorder or secondary to other diseases of the bowel. The aim of this study was to assess the plasticity of the enteric nervous system in patients with Hirschsprung's disease-associated intestinal neuronal dysplasia and its ability to evolve spontaneously to normal innervation patterns. Since we prospectively introduced the assessment of the enteric nervous system of the ganglionated bowel in patients operated on for Hirschsprung's disease, 31 patients have been operated on for Hirschsprung's disease in our institution between 1995 and 2002. Among these patients, nine suffered postoperatively from severe constipation and five from bouts of entocolitis. IND was found in eight of them. We studied the evolution of the innervation in three of these patients by repeated serial full-thickness biopsies of the colon. All three patients underwent a colostomy before or after the pull-through procedure. Histopathological assessment of the enteric nervous system was made with conventional acetylcholinesterase histochemistry, rapid acetylcholinesterase histochemistry and immunohistochemistry for the Protein Gene Product 9.5 and the antigen CD56. This evolution was compared with the clinical outcome of bowel function. In our three patients with Hirschsprung's disease-associated intestinal neuronal dysplasia, this form of dysganglionosis evolved to normal innervation patterns within a period ranging from 9 to 18 months. This evolution was accompanied by an improvement of bowel function in all. We conclude that Hirschsprung's disease-associated intestinal neuronal dysplasia can evolve to a normal innervation, at least under certain circumstances such as a colostomy. Specific histopathological techniques are required to assess accurately the enteric nervous system. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Pediatric Surgery International
volume
19
issue
11
pages
715 - 715
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • pmid:14689210
  • scopus:1042268710
ISSN
1437-9813
DOI
10.1007/s00383-003-1035-0
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b4be2d3e-a624-44e8-8b13-f65055c982f1 (old id 1128185)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:24:40
date last changed
2022-01-28 19:33:59
@article{b4be2d3e-a624-44e8-8b13-f65055c982f1,
  abstract     = {{Intestinal neuronal dysplasia is a controversial form of dysganglionosis that has been described both as an isolated disorder and in association with Hirschsprung's disease. It has been blamed for the bad outcome of bowel function in patients operated on for Hirschsprung's disease. According to various authors, intestinal neuronal dysplasia could be a primary disorder or secondary to other diseases of the bowel. The aim of this study was to assess the plasticity of the enteric nervous system in patients with Hirschsprung's disease-associated intestinal neuronal dysplasia and its ability to evolve spontaneously to normal innervation patterns. Since we prospectively introduced the assessment of the enteric nervous system of the ganglionated bowel in patients operated on for Hirschsprung's disease, 31 patients have been operated on for Hirschsprung's disease in our institution between 1995 and 2002. Among these patients, nine suffered postoperatively from severe constipation and five from bouts of entocolitis. IND was found in eight of them. We studied the evolution of the innervation in three of these patients by repeated serial full-thickness biopsies of the colon. All three patients underwent a colostomy before or after the pull-through procedure. Histopathological assessment of the enteric nervous system was made with conventional acetylcholinesterase histochemistry, rapid acetylcholinesterase histochemistry and immunohistochemistry for the Protein Gene Product 9.5 and the antigen CD56. This evolution was compared with the clinical outcome of bowel function. In our three patients with Hirschsprung's disease-associated intestinal neuronal dysplasia, this form of dysganglionosis evolved to normal innervation patterns within a period ranging from 9 to 18 months. This evolution was accompanied by an improvement of bowel function in all. We conclude that Hirschsprung's disease-associated intestinal neuronal dysplasia can evolve to a normal innervation, at least under certain circumstances such as a colostomy. Specific histopathological techniques are required to assess accurately the enteric nervous system.}},
  author       = {{Meyrat, B J and Laurini, Ricardo}},
  issn         = {{1437-9813}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{11}},
  pages        = {{715--715}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Pediatric Surgery International}},
  title        = {{Plasticity of the enteric nervous system in patients with intestinal neuronal dysplasia associated with Hirschsprung's disease: a report of three patients}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00383-003-1035-0}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00383-003-1035-0}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2003}},
}